Express Train heads $1 million TVG Pacific Classic

C R K Stable's Express Train  will seek to become the fifth San Diego Handicap (G2) winner to add the TVG Pacific Classic (G1) in the same season. Eight rivals will try to thwart the 3-1 morning-line favorite in the $1 million Pacific Classic, a 1 1/4-mile event at Del Mar Aug. 21. The race goes as the 10th race on an 11-race card, post time scheduled for 6:30 p.m. PDT.

Express Train will be looking for his first grade 1 victory and his third graded win of the year. He began the season by capturing the Jan. 30 San Pasqual Stakes (G2) at Santa Anita, and he has not finished worse than third in his other four 2021 starts. Three of his four wins have come at Del Mar.

"I always thought that how the race set up for him was probably more important," said John Shirreffs, who trains Express Trail for the C R K Stable of Lee and Susan Searing. "But there has to be something to it that he likes running down here."

Shirreffs added that Express Train has also benefited from maturity.

"Quite often in the beginning he'd be a real handful in the paddock. He just wouldn't stand or he'd get upset or get himself worked up. But when he ran in the San Diego I was really surprised at how cool he was in the paddock."

The Pacific Classic, the signature race of Del Mar's summer meeting, dates back to 1991, when Best Pal took the inaugural running. Skimming  became the first San Diego winner to triumph in the Pacific Classic, a feat he accomplished in 2000 and 2001. Since then, California Chrome   in 2016, Accelerate   in 2017, and Maximum Security   in 2020 have won both events in the same season.

Though Shirreffs has not won the Pacific Classic, he sent out Giacomo  to take the 2006 San Diego. He also trained the popular Zenyatta , heroine of Del Mar's Clement L. Hirsch Stakes (G1) three years in a row.

Express Train, who cost $500,000 as a yearling, is a 4-year-old Kentucky-bred son of Union Rags  —I'm a Flake , by Mineshaft  . He has earned $659,300 to date. Juan Hernandez, who has ridden Express Train throughout 2021, will be back aboard from post 5.

Trainer Todd Pletcher is shipping multiple graded winner Dr Post  from New York for the Pacific Classic. A 4-year-old Kentucky-bred son of Quality Road  , Dr Post most recently won the July 17 Monmouth Cup Stakes (G3) and also captured the May 1 Westchester Stakes (G3) at Belmont Park. Dr Post ran second to Tiz the Law   in the 2020 Belmont Stakes Presented by NYRA Bets (G1).

Owned by the St. Elias Stable of Vincent Viola, Dr Post will be ridden by Joel Rosario from post 3 and is 4-1 on the morning line.

Four of the six others from the San Diego field are returning in the Pacific Classic: Tripoli  (second in the San Diego), Royal Ship  (third), Magic On Tap  (fifth), and Sheriff Brown  (seventh).

Tripoli, a 4-year-old Kentucky-bred son of Kitten's Joy  , was making his stakes debut in the San Diego. At 9-1, he closed from sixth to get within a half-length of Express Train. John Sadler trains Tripoli for Hronis Racing. That combination won back-to-back editions of the Pacific Classic with Accelerate in 2018 and Higher Power   in 2019. Tiago Pereira rides from the rail.

Royal Ship outfinished Express Train in the Hollywood Gold Cup (G1), as they ran second and third to Country Grammer . Royal Ship had defeated Country Grammer one start earlier in the Californian Stakes (G2). Richard Mandella trains the 5-year-old son of Midshipman   for Fox Hill Farms and Siena Farm. Royal Ship (Mike Smith, post 4) is a multiple group winner in his native Brazil and is the second choice at 7-2 on the morning line.

Mandella also trains Tizamagician , winner of the July 18 Cougar II Stakes (G3), a 1 1/2-mile dirt stakes at Del Mar. A 4-year-old Kentucky-bred son of Tiznow , Tizamagician (Flavien Prat, post 2) races for MyRacehorse and Spendthrift Farm. A nine-length winner of the Tokyo City Cup (G3) at Santa Anita, Tizamagician ran second in the Brooklyn Stakes Presented by Northwell Health (G2) at Belmont Park.

Summer Wind Equine's homebred Magic On Tap came into the San Diego off a smart victory in the seven-furlong Triple Bend Stakes (G2) for trainer Bob Baffert. A 5-year-old Kentucky-bred son of Tapit  , Magic On Tap has the services of Abel Cedillo from post 6.

Sheriff Brown (Edwin Maldonado, post 8) is a 30-1 longshot on the morning line and had a three-race winning streak in allowance optional claiming company earlier this year at Louisiana and Texas tracks. Todd Fincher trains the 5-year-old Kentucky-bred son of Curlin   for owner/breeder Joe Peacock.

Fincher threw out Sheriff Brown's seventh-place San Diego performance.

"He had just shipped in and wasn't comfortable in his surroundings," said the trainer. "And he's a horse that needs to be comfortable with his surroundings. We expect a lot better effort this time."

Independence Hall  (Florent Geroux, post 7) hasn't run since he finished third in the Californian. The 4-year-old Kentucky-bred son of Constitution   ran third behind winner Knicks Go  in the Jan. 23 Pegasus World Cup Invitational Stakes (G1) at Gulfstream Park. Michael McCarthy trains Independence Hall for a partnership headed by Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners.

Another Kentucky-bred son of Kitten's Joy, Cupid's Claws , ran second in the Cougar II. A $50,000 claim last year, Cupid's Claws (Umberto Rispoli, post 9) is trained by Craig Dollase for the partnership of Flawless Racing, Masino Racing Stable, Brian Flanagan, and Michael Jarvis.

 

Entries: TVG Pacific Classic S. (G1)

Del Mar, Saturday, August 21, 2021, Race 10

• Grade I
• 1 1/4m
• Dirt
• $1,000,000
• 3 yo's & up
• 6:30 PM (local)

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	Tripoli (KY)	Tiago Josue Pereira	124	John W. Sadler	-
2	Tizamagician (KY)	Flavien Prat	124	Richard E. Mandella	-
3	Dr Post (KY)	Joel Rosario	124	Todd A. Pletcher	-
4	Royal Ship (BRZ)	Mike E. Smith	124	Richard E. Mandella	-
5	Express Train (KY)	Juan J. Hernandez	124	John A. Shirreffs	-
6	Magic On Tap (KY)	Abel Cedillo	124	Bob Baffert	-
7	Independence Hall (KY)	Florent Geroux	124	Michael W. McCarthy	-
8	Sheriff Brown (KY)	Edwin A. Maldonado	124	Todd W. Fincher	-
9	Cupid's Claws (KY)	UMBERTO RISPOLI	124	Craig Dollase	-